A/N:

Hello all! Sorry for making you wait so long for an update (but hey, 3 months isn't that bad right? Right? :D ) *bricked*

Ahem, anyways thank you for being patient and I hope you enjoy this next arc. I'll update another chapter next weekend and the third will go up after that.

Aquafina rain: Aww you're so sweet! Thank you! *hug* Writing Youko is crazy hard since we didn't get a lot of that side of Kurama in the series so I'm glad he's believable. I'm really trying to make him as callous and demon-like as possible (at least for now). And it's definitely fun twisting the Sailor V story in this crossover. I'm trying not to push Minako's development into too dark of a region b/c she's still a Sailor Moon character and all but it's so much fun playing with her and Youko's relationship (also very challenging though. They're not easy to write together). Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Menooshuh: Thank you so much for always reviewing! It puts a huge smile on my face to see your reviews, especially considering how much you keep helping me with these characters! And, yeah, I'm trying to keep elements of comedy throughout the story, the Sailor V manga was very comedy based and Minako's supposed to be an eccentric character. Thanks again for the review and I hope you enjoy this arc!

Act 3: A Petite Change Pt1:

The Metropolitan Police Board officers were the city's best and brightest, renown for their courage and professionalism the men and women of the MPB were a league above their peers. So it was with good reason that they now hid in their offices or found reasons to appear busy when their superintendent-general stormed through the halls of headquarters. Intimidated was an understatement; the officers were thoroughly cowed by their fierce boss. When they heard the door at the end of the hall slam shut they all heaved a sigh of relief only to collectively jump a moment late by a sharp shout:

"Wakagi! My office, now!"

Wakagi, Toshi groaned as he stood and made the long trek down the hall. Several officers wished him luck, others just sighed in relief. Taking a deep breath, Wakagi stepped into the office with all the resignation of a man preparing to face a firing squadron.

"Detective Wakagi, reporting, ma'am."

Superintendent-general Sakurada, Natsuna was sitting behind her desk, the picture of poise, beauty and absolute power. No one trifled with Sakurada, Natsuna and the respect her officers held for her was well earned. The number of cases closed under her watch could easily fill the large office and one of the smaller storage rooms. She had a reputation for being straight forward, strict and absolutely fierce in her pursuit of justice.

Without preamble and no greeting, Sakurada threw a folder across her desk.

Wakagi picked up the folder and flipped through a few pages: it was the initial report from the incident at the concert hall just a week ago. Everyone had heard about the incident by now, the news stations and Internet were flooded with eyewitness reports and shaky videos of the whole affair. The few officers who had not responded to the incident cornered those first on scene to hear first hand accounts; Wakagi was one of those few though he had kept his distance from most of the gossip.

His eyebrows rose as his eyes skimmed the page, "Demons?" he asked, looking up at his superior.

Sakurada did not look at him, her eyes fixed on the windows of her office, "Yeah. I'm trying to keep that bit out of the news though they're already stirring up enough chaos by calling these damn things aliens."

Wakagi turned the page and a picture fell out of the folder. He bent and picked up the blurry image of a blonde girl clad in an odd derivation of a school sailor uniform. "What about her?" Wakagi asked, showing the picture to his boss.

The woman glanced at the picture then pulled out another folder. "We know nothing about her except that she's been appearing a lot lately." She doled out several more pictures from inside the folder: the blonde fighting at a video arcade, leaving a dark ally, jumping off a building. Then she laid out several more pictures, these though were of a more gruesome nature and contained the disfigured bodies of what Wakagi assumed were more "demons." The last picture was one from the most recent event, showing the mysterious girl holding the lighting scaffolding off the audience. Wakagi frowned as he picked up the picture: it was by far the best quality photo of the set—he could easily see the folds of her skirt and the crescent moon on her forehead—but her face was oddly obscured, all he could make out was the red mask over her eyes.

As Wakagi studied each of these, Sakurada leaned back in her chair, "I don't know who she is or what she's all about, but I do know she's one step ahead of us on this demon-thing."

Wakagi looked up to see his superior's black eyes staring straight at him.

"Find her."

Youko did not trust Kaitou Ace, but then he did not trust many people, even his current partner. But the fox demon had to concede that Ace had his uses.

For instance, it was no longer a struggle to get Aino to train or fight. In fact she almost looked forward to them as each one brought with it the hope of seeing her mysterious friend.

"You're getting better!" Ace praised as he dodged another kick from Sailor V, though just barely.

"Thanks!" Sailor V called, her cheeks flushed at the praise. "Youko-kun and I have been training a lot!"

She was getting better. Youko admitted with a bud of smugness, he was finally seeing the fruit of the countless headaches from training the child. Minako remained bull-headed about her spiritual training but her fighting skills were beginning to toe masterful.

'Still an amateur though.' The Voice grumbled.

Youko's lips twitched in a smirk, 'True, but she has occasional flashes of such pure genius that I can almost believe she was, at some point, the warrior you claim her to be."

Sailor V landed a devastating punch that sent Ace flat on his ass. Youko bit back a bark of laughter at the pure panic on V's face as she ran to her partner's side. Sparing with Ace really was not all the beneficial for his charge; Sailor V out matched him in speed and strength, but these little sessions kept her motivated for a week so Youko let them continue.

And if nothing else he could appreciate the entertainment value of watching them spar.

The fox watched Ace stand and massage the abused cheek. The young man—and yes, as far as Youko could tell, Ace was fully human—managed to smile and brush off Sailor V's gushing apologizes.

"V-chan, it's okay!" Ace laughed, "It's good that you're so strong. We all depend on your strength."

Sailor V looked down at the ground, "Y-yeah." She muttered, sounding rather miserable.

Ace's eyes softened and he placed a hand under her chin, tilting her head back so that their eyes met, "V-chan, I would not trust anyone else with this burden, but you…Well, I'll always trust you to protect me."

Sailor V blushed a bright red, "R-really?"

"Of course." Ace replied with a smile, "V-chan, think of all those people you saved at the Pandora concert! You did that, Sailor V, not me or anyone else."

Youko saw the young man's eyes flick in his direction and snorted. He could care less what this fool thought of him or his choice to expose Aino to Pandora's attacks.

V's smile widened and she nodded, "It felt good to be able to help all of them. I felt so…useful and strong; like I could do anything in the world."

Ace nodded, "Don't ever forget that feeling, Sailor V. Your confidence is your greatest strength." Again his eyes flashing in Youko's direction and, again, Youko ignored him.

The fox demon did not trust Ace, but a good back-stabbing would be a powerful lesson for Aino; one Youko could not provide himself without risking his own survival. So he might as well let Ace do the stabbing.

"Youko-kun are you asleep?"

The fox demon blinked and looked up at Sailor V. The sky and his charge were bathed in the warm reds and violets of the setting sun. The fox demon yawned and settled his head down atop his paws. "Even demons need sleep, Aino." He muttered. Youko looked around but could find no sign of Ace and that worried him. The fox demon had been unnaturally tired lately but that did not excuse being so unaware of his surroundings. Maybe it was his extended stay in the human world or perhaps his constant need to fight the seals on his youki while protecting his oblivious charge; whatever the cause the result was rather troubling.

Standing, Youko stretched, "If you are done, we'll return home, Aino."

Sailor V looked surprised, "We're not going to meditate?"

Youko, not in the mood to deal with his human companion, glared at her over his shoulder, "Do not feign disappointment, Aino. Enjoy this small reprieve I am granting you."

Aino's stubborn refusal to dedicate herself to meditation was becoming burdensome and slightly troubling for the fox demon. Really it was no surprise he felt to tired as of late, until the child took responsibility for her own power, Youko was forced to expend a great deal of energy shielding her blinding powers from the rest of the world. Again, a task made all the more difficult by the pesky seal.

It would be a great relief for the fox demon if Aino would take over that responsibility, not that he would admit it. And tonight he had no desire to push the issue of training. He just needed sleep.

V rolled her eyes, "Whatever, just don't expect me to be grateful."

"I have long learned to expect nothing of you, Aino."

Sailor V stomped her foot angrily, reminding Youko of a petulant child, "This is exactly what I was talking to Ace about! Seriously, what is your problem?!"

"Obnoxious, hormonal teenagers."

"You're so irritating!" Sailor V exclaimed, "I've never done anything to deserve how you treat me!"

Youko snorted, "The world is a tough place, Aino. And, quite honestly, you got better than you deserve when I was assigned to you."

"Then prove it."

Youko cocked an eyebrow, caught between amusement and irritation. He did not dignify her childish challenge with a response and took off across the rooftops with Sailor V in tow.

"I can't believe how cool that was!"

"She saved our lives!"

"And did you see her take on that monster?!"

"Too bad the concert was cancelled."

"—all the news stations are talking about."

"—able to get a video, check it out!"

"This is all getting a little out of control, don't you think?" Ayumi asked, watching their classmates croon over newspaper clippings and videos of the elusive Sailor V.

"I think it's totally crazy!" Minako exclaimed, looking up from the article she was reading on the topic, "I mean, they're calling her a hero!"

"Well she is a hero, Mina-chan." Hikaru pointed out, "I mean, she saved all of us from that falling scaffolding and then fought off those monsters."

"Yeah, but, she kills them, doesn't she? But they still call her a hero. It's just, I don't know, weird, isn't it?" Minako babbled. "I mean, no matter what, killing should be wrong, so isn't she a murderer or something?"

Fumiko shot Minako an incredulous work, "My dad and brother are in the military. They kill others and are still called heroes." She tapped the fuzzy picture of Sailor V fighting the giant demon, "Seems like she's got enough on her plate fighting these monsters without the news papers, or anyone else, calling her a murderer."

Minako practically jumped Fumiko in an attempt to hug her.

"Mina-chan, what—?"

"Nothing, you're just amazing, Fumi-chan. Just wanted you to know." Minako replied, jumping suddenly to her feet, "Who wants to go play soccer? I feel like running!"

"Mina-chan, you're being really weird today." Hikaru noted, her brows knitted in concern.

Fumiko smirked as she stood, "No more odd than usual, I'd say. C'mon, a game would be fun." The girls are stood to head down to the field, Minako leading the way to the door, when suddenly the blonde stopped in her tracks.

"What's up, Mina-chan, you forget something?"

Minako spun, looking about the room, "Do you guys hear singing?"

"Uh…" Hikaru exchanged looks with the others, "No."

Minako bit her lip then forced a smile, "Haha! I must be hearing things! Still imagining that concert, I guess. Too bad we never got to hear Pandora sing, right?"

"Yeah, it's a shame she retired." Ayumi agreed.

'Right, retired.' Minako thought, silently cursing herself for bringing up the topic in the first place as she tried not to break out in a cold sweat.

Ayumi continued, unaware of Minako's discomfort, "But, hey, her sister's pretty awesome too. Maybe she'll hold a concert and I can get us more tickets."

Minako's throat went dry, "Her….she had a sister?"

"Yeah, Petite Pandora." Fumiko replied as she grabbed her running shoes, "I thought you knew everything about celebrities, Mina-chan."

"I-I guess I've been slipping." Minako muttered, not certain if she managed a proper smile; her insides felt like ice! A little sister? That could not be a coincidence! She needed to tell Ace and Youko!

"Mina-chan, are you okay?"

Minako practically jumped out of her skin at Hikaru's light touch, "What? Oh! Yeah, I'm fine, Hikaru-chan. C'mon, let's go play volleyball!"

"I thought you said soccer!"

"Yeah, well I changed my mind. Besides, volleyball's more fun!" she called, running ahead of the others as she lead them towards the gym.

She really needed to remember to watch herself around Hikaru. Her best friends always seemed to be watching these days. Minako did not know how much Hikaru suspected but she did know that if any of her friends were to uncover her double life it would be Hikaru. As much as Minako wanted to share her experiences with Hikaru, she also knew that it would put her in immense danger by doing so.

"So! Who's on my team?"

One thing was certain: she needed to tell Kaitou Ace and Youko.

…..

"I can't do it." Sailor V exclaimed, flopping back on the ground and glaring out over the city.

"Of course not, you haven't been practicing." Youko commented from where he sat beside the teen. "Manipulating spiritual energy is not something you, as a human, are simply born with. It takes concentration and patience, neither of which you excel in."

V glared at the fox demon, "Have you ever stopped to consider that I might not have this 'spiritual energy' you keep going on about?"

Youko scoffed, "How do you think you summon your compact and pen or use your Crescent Beam attack? It might not be the same as what other humans possess, but you do have a form of spiritual energy. You just refuse to use it."

V did not bother arguing further, after all he was right: she avoided this part of training like the plague. "Can you sense anything?" she asked in a barely restrained snap.

Youko did not respond right away, and V began to wonder if he had heard her at all. She looked at the silver fox, "Youko-chan?"

Youko's ear twitched, "No." the fox admitted, "I can not."

Sailor V sighed, "Maybe I'm overreacting. This new Pandora may just be a coincidence."

"It is not."

V glanced at the fox, "Why not?" she demanded though there was little force behind it, "Neither of us can sense anything and while that's not saying a whole lot for me, you could sense Pandora." She spared a moment to glare at the fox, she was still not happy that he knowingly sent her in to the arms of a demon alone, "The fact that you can't feel a Dark Kingdom demon either means it's a false alarm."

Youko shook his head, "One thing a millennia of existence will teach you, Aino is that there are not such things as coincidences."

Sailor V's head snapped around to stare at Youko, her surprise temporarily erasing her irritation with the fox demon.

"Are you really a thousand years old?"

"Yes."

"You're really old."

"I fought to be."

The two lapsed into silence, each lost in their own thoughts as they stared out over the city. Sailor V watched the city's occupants, tracking individuals across down the street in front of her. From this view they were as small as ants. She wondered if her dad was one of those pinpricks—he should be heading home from work soon—or if the blue one running down the street was Hikaru on her way to cram school.

Suddenly Sailor V felt very small.

"Each one of those dots is someone. They're each a life and a person. And that's probably not even a tenth of the city down there."

Youko glanced over the edge, "You humans do like to live in hives."

V wrapped her arms around her knees, "How am I supposed to protect them all?"

So far all Sailor V had worried about when fighting was her own survival but now, after everything Ace and her friends had said, she was beginning to feel as though the whole world was breathing down her neck. Demanding her strength, a strength she was not certain she possessed.

Youko was quiet for some time but Sailor V could feel his eyes on her back. Finally the fox demon looked away.

"I will never understand why you humans place so much value on the lives of others. The only life that matters in this world is your own. Everyone else should be just a means to an end." Sailor V looked away, her eyes pricking with tears but Youko continued, "And yet you seem determined to weigh yourself down with not only the burdens of your own survival but those of the rest of the populace as well. I do not understand it.

"I do know, though, that self doubt is a waste of time. You may be exceedingly immature, stubborn and close-minded to your own reality Aino, but you are a capable, strong fighter and have proven to be quite perceptive in battle. Doubting yourself will only remove those advantages you have."

Sailor V managed a smile, "That was one hell of a back handed compliment."

"I am only providing an accurate assessment of your strengths, Aino. You cannot rely on them to out weigh your weaknesses but you should not discard them either."

"Because you rely on them too."

Youko nodded, "Yes, Aino I do. Your strength is all I have to rely on if I hope on making it through this alive; something I very much intend to do." He yawned, his razor sharp teeth glinting in the city lights.

"What will you do?"

Youko sent her a bemused look.

"When you're free, what will you do?"

"Hmm." Youko murmured, as his eyes drooped, "I have a series of revenge plots for the Spirit World, but once that is accomplished I suppose I shall return to the Makai." He yawned, "There is not much here to entertain me….."

"Youko? Youko?" Sailor V shook the fox demon until he awoke again. "Hey, you okay? You fell asleep again."

Youko stood then stumbled, apparently a little disoriented, "I am fine, Aino."

V looked uncertain, "You sure? I mean, I've never seen you sleep. Do you even need to?"

"All beasts must replenish their energy in some way, Aino. I sleep just as you do though not nearly as often or deep." Youko replied, stretching out his back. "Let us go find a more secluded area to stay."

"To stay?" V exclaimed, scrambling to her feet to follow Youko as he leapt to the adjacent building, "But why don't we just go back to my place?"

"Patience is the first virtue of all thieves and hunters, Aino. If we are going to find this demon you must grow some of your own."

Sailor V managed to catch up with the fox on the next jump, "But I'm not a thief or a hunter, I'm…well, I'm still trying to work that part out."

Youko's grin was disturbingly predatory, "Well, we might as well start somewhere."

…..

"You are wasting our time!"

The crowd of demons flinched at the sharp voice that rang through the dark cave. They cowered away from the tall woman, hoping not to catch any fall out from her infamous rage. Several black figures surrounded the woman, their features obscured by darkness.

"But Fluorite-sama!" one of the shrouded figures protested.

"Silence!" Fluorite snapped. Light clicked on from above, illuminating a small girl in frilly clothes. "I do not have time for your excuses, Petite!"

Petite's face flushed red, "She killed my sister!" the girl protested, her fist clenched, "I can't just let that pass!"

Fluorite's eyes turned a deep shade of red, "Foolish child! We do not have time for revenge if we wish to see the rebirth of our mighty kingdom."

"I don't want to see the kingdom reborn! I just want my sister!" the child cried, tears streaming down her cheeks, "I'll kill that bitch for what she did to Pandora!"

-Slap!-

Petite's head snapped to the side under the force of the blow, "Heed my words, Petite," Fluorite's voice was low and dripping with deadly promise, "Our mission is greater than your petty desires for revenge. Do not forget who gave you and your pathetic sister the power you enjoy." She stepped away from the girl and returned to her place in the center of the room, "Sailor V is a problem that will be dealt with in time, for now these pathetic demons," her hand swept out over the cowering crowd, "serve their purpose in keeping her distracted while we collect energy. The restoration of the Dark Kingdom is always our first and greatest priority."

Fluorite's eyes turned a cold blue, "Your sister knew this, Petite, it is time you learned your place as well. Remember, all that the Dark Kingdom gives may be taken away."

Lights flickered out and the figures melded into darkness, leaving Petite alone in the silent cave.

"I will get revenge for your death, sister." She whispered, "I promise you, Sailor V and all her allies will suffer."

The final light flickered out, leaving only silence to reflect on the child's words.

…Omake…

"I can't believe how cool that was!"

"She saved our lives!"

"And did you see her take on that monster?!"

"Too bad the concert was cancelled."

"—all the news stations are talking about."

"—able to get a video, check it out!"

"This is all getting a little out of control, don't you think?" Ayumi asked, watching their classmates croon over newspaper clippings and videos of the elusive Sailor V.

"I think it's totally crazy!" Minako exclaimed, looking up from the article she was reading on the topic, "I mean, they're calling her a hero!"

"Well she is a hero, Mina-chan." Hikaru pointed out, "I mean, she saved all of us from that falling scaffolding and then fought off those monsters."

"Guys! Check it out!" the door of the classroom slammed open and Amano jumped into the room, dressed in a Sailor V costume. A very poorly made Sailor V costume. "Isn't it awesome! I just finished it last night!" he declared, spinning around and winking at the classroom.

Silence echoed through the room as the classmates just stared.

Minako groaned and buried her head into her arms; "I'm going to be seeing that in my nightmares tonight."

…A/N…..

Hope you all enjoyed! Part 2 will be published next weekend.

Please, please, please review! They're a writer's lifeblood. Constructive critiques are welcome but please no flaming.